Markus Schulz plans to release 12 original tracks inspired by 12 cities next year

Every year since 2005, Markus Schulz has put together a compilation mix inspired by a particular city. This year, however, the Coldharbour Recordings label boss has decided to change things up a bit. It’s a similar concept, but rather than dedicating one mix a year to one city, Schulz will combine twelve original instrumental tracks inspired by the personalities of twelve cities into World Tour 2015.

“There are so many great cities and so many great shows that I do during the course of the year, and I just really wanted to pay my respects to more than just one city at a time,” says Schulz, who will be releasing one new city-inspired track every month. “I want to find the shows that I’m really excited about this year, make tracks especially for these shows and then play them live, record the crowd noise, put them all together at the end of the year and have this unifying voice in a compilation.”

Schulz says translating the character of city into an actual sound comes more naturally than one might think.

“I’m at the point where I’ve been to most of these cities several times. I have a great bond with the people in these cities and I’ve really got a sense for the nuances of these cities,” he says. According to Schulz, despite how interconnected the world has become through the internet, it’s these unique nuances that he hopes to capture in his tracks.

“When I go to Stereo in Montreal, it’s totally different than when I go to a city like Las Vegas or even a city like Miami. I hope to be able to kind of showcase those differences…maybe even build an identity in some of these cities that people don’t maybe wouldn’t normally pick up on.”

Like everything in his catalog, you can always recognize a Markus Schulz track just from the feeling of it, whether it’s a big room stadium track, a trance anthem or a deeper, more club-oriented piece. Schulz says it’s because he puts his soul into everything he produces.

His penchant for variety has made him appealing to a wide range of fans from all musical backgrounds and preferences. While the World Tour compilation will definitely include a spectrum of flavors and musical influences, he told Dancing Astronaut that listeners will definitely be able to “hear the common thread in all of the songs.”

Schulz hasn’t finalized the tracklist yet, but he’s got half of the year sketched out. He says Miami, Bucharest, Buenos Aires and Las Vegas are extremely special to him and are definitely circled on his map. Part of the beauty, though, is the spontaneity of the project.

“As we go through the year, there are going to be cities that pop up where fans are gonna be screaming ‘You gotta do something for us!’ and that inspires me. Its hard to say looking at the entire year, everything that’s gonna happen in 2015,” he says. “It all comes down to inspiration for the ear.”

A large driving force behind the concept is Schulz’s desire to “do something different.”

“I think what happens a lot of times is people chase whatever is on the top of the charts, or they’ll download the Beatport Top 10 and then roll into a gig and call it a set, and I’ve never been about that. I’ve always been about contributing to the scene and building a legacy as opposed to just chasing something,” he says. “I don’t ever want to get to a point where things feel stale; if they feel stale then maybe it’s time to try something different and that’s kind of how I feel right now.”

Schulz hasn’t decided yet whether his World Tour concept will become a yearly tradition, but he says a part of him definitely wants to keep the legacy going for as long as it inspires him.

“I’m excited about everything that’s going on in the EDM scene…but I want to do more,” he says. “I love what I do and I’m really excited for next year. I want to keep that excitement going at a fever pitch. Dedicating a track every month to a city…[allowing] fans to get to hear how they inspired me right then and there…is getting me excited for next year.”

Markus Schulz’s World Tour 2015 series will begin January 2015. Stay tuned for more details on the project.